Nearly 50 convicts began fighting in an exercise yard at the Otay Mesa- area state prison shortly after 9 a.m., according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“Correctional officers immediately responded to the various areas and gave multiple orders to stop fighting,” according to Terri Hardy of the CDCR. “When inmates did not comply, officers used pepper spray to quell the (violence). Only non-lethal force was used.”

Civilian ambulance crews took the injured prisoners to hospitals in surrounding communities, Hardy said. One was airlifted for treatment of severe head trauma.

No guards were seriously injured, Hardy said. Several of the staffers were treated at the Alta Road penitentiary for exposure to pepper spray.

Corrections officers found makeshift weapons created by inmates at the scene of the brawl.

It was unclear what sparked the riot.

“The incident is being investigated by the Investigative Services Unit at the prison,” Hardy said. “The (state) Office of the Inspector General was notified.”

–City News Service

Riot at Donovan State Prison Sends 10 Inmates to Hospitals was last modified: February 16th, 2019 by Debbie L. Sklar

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